Spear of Odin
by aznchika
Summary: *abandoned* Seven Balamb SeeDs. One ill-tempered Galbadian Commander. The search for One Spear. What secrets are hidden?
1. Chapter00-Characters

aznchika: "Okay, please keep in mind... this is my FIRST attempt to turn a RP (role-play) into a fanfic. There's going to have to be A LOT of editing... and most likely, A LOT of confusion... and I don't mind a little patience in there too! Okay, first things first... I'd like to that KYRIE for helping me a great deal! If it weren't for her brilliant idea of a RP, I would have never thought of making this into a fanfic. Also, I'd like to thank the following people...  
  
Kyrie - Once again, I just HAVE to thank you... and of course you made up Jolith..  
  
Sleeping Soul - you made up Razamor and Lyra...  
  
Jacks - Victoria... (I'm not gonna repeat the 'you made up' part anymore... k?)  
  
RikuAngel - Yuki  
  
Quistis twin sister Sunny - Celeste  
  
QuistisTrepe002 - Guinevere  
  
Bunny - Suzuka... the very scary android! At least I think she's scary... but she's really interesting!  
  
Oh ya, I'd like to say that I made up Schala. so there we have it! Everyone I need to thank so far... and if it weren't for these brilliant people, there wouldn't be this story! Anyway, I think I should introduce you the characters.. Here goes.  
  
- - - - - - - - -  
  
Character Name - Jolith Merlis (Joe-lith Merr-liss)  
  
Age - 18  
  
Height - 6'  
  
Appearance - Jolith has messy, spiky black hair that he doesn't seem to brush. The 'do seems to make him look more dangerous than irresponsible. Probably because it is complemented by his serious dark eyes. Standing at about 6 foot even, this hardcore mercenary is very intimidating. He is rarely seen without his gunblade called 'Adversary', so many students who know this stoic person joke that the weapon is surgically attached to his arm. He dons red very often, and judging by the likewise coloured handle on his beloved gunblade, it is his favourite colour.  
  
Personality - Jolith is as serious as he looks to be. Although he is rarely cruel and does respect his superiors, this gunblade specialist lacks compassion. He also has a near non-existent sense of humour. He doesn't seem at all anti-social or insecure; only bored with people. A little less talk and a lot more action is what Jolith prefers.  
  
Strengths - Fighting, fire magic  
  
Weaknesses - Any social situation  
  
Weapon of Choice - He will ONLY use Adversary. He refuses out of honour to wield anything else.  
  
Personal Background - His mother was a member of the Timber Owls, and she died on a mission shortly after having him. His father took him to Galbadia (where his father had lived before meeting his mother). His father never quite got over the loss of his mother and became an alcoholic. His father abused him, so one day Jolith just got fed up and left home to try and become SeeD.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Razamor Warsen  
  
Age - 17  
  
Height - 6'3  
  
Appearance - Lean yet strong build. Has smooth black hair that falls into his green eyes and pale, unblemished skin. Favourite outfit consists of black jeans slightly faded at the knees and a well-worn green muscle shirt that matches with durable black boots.  
  
Personality - Although he seems cold and distant at first glance, he's actually a very friendly guy, until you make fun of his name. The only person allowed to call him Razi is his best friend, Lyra; who he supposedly has a large crush on. He has a good, easygoing sense of humour, but is intelligent and serious when necessary. Known to be a flirt, but has never been in a serious relationship before.  
  
Weapon of Choice - Broadsword, affectionately but lamely named 'Killer'  
  
Strengths - Agility, keeping cool in tough situations, and has special bonds with his GFs (Guardian Forces)  
  
Weaknesses - Beautiful and mysterious women and poor magic abilities.  
  
Personal Background - His father is a respected Galbadian politician. His mother died when he was two and he doesn't remember her. Although his father gave a good home for Razamor, and a decent amount of money, he is always 'away on business', so Razamor basically raised himself. He joined Balamb Garden when he was 14.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Lyra Desdin  
  
Age - 16  
  
Height - 5'5  
  
Appearance - Slim build. Has very straight and silky copper coloured hair. Clear, light blue eyes. Very pale, though she turns bright red when she's pissed. Also has a long scar trailing down her left arm and a blue and silver necklace that she always tucks into her shirt. She wears a black shirt where the right sleeve goes all the way down to her hand, and is turned into a glove cut off at the fingers, while her left sleeve cuts off at the shoulder - - probably to show she is not ashamed of her scar - - and she wears no left glove. Also wears dark blue pants that have way too many pockets. The ensemble matches with combat boots. Her normal attires are; A stolen pair of Razamor's pants (she refuses to wear garden skirts), which are considerably baggy and held up by a strong, thick black rope, intricately knotted. Wears a white tank top and usually doesn't bother wearing a garden jacket.  
  
Personality - Very cold and antisocial. Whereas Razamor has many friends, he is her only one. Very loyal to him, though she teases him mercilessly. She possesses a sarcastic sense of humour and always has a comeback ready. She is secretive and very smart, and at times, moody.  
  
Strengths - Her aim. Also skilled in healing and water magic.  
  
Weaknesses - Horrible temper. Doesn't like heights. And although she is a very talented fighter, she is rather klutzy off the battlefield.  
  
Weapon of Choice - Knives and daggers. Though, anything sharp will do...  
  
Personal Background - Her parents were killed in the Sorceress War and was shipped from foster home to foster home with her older sister, Lycea (Lee-say-uh). She joined Balamb Garden at 13, while Lycea (18 at the time) went to join the Esthar Army. She hasn't heard from her since. She refuses to talk about where her scar or necklace came from.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Victoria Grupe  
  
Age - 15  
  
Height - 5'6"  
  
Appearance - She has curly dark black hair with deep blue highlights cut to her lower back. She has blue-grey eyes and her entire ear is pierced with simple studs. Claims to have gotten it done one night while drunk. She runs around in a red plaid slimming jumper with a short-sleeved black turtleneck shirt underneath. She has a pair of knee-high black socks on her legs and wear black clogs. She always wears a red square pendant on a silver chain.  
  
Personality - Major partier and not afraid of a little booze. Could be even considered as an alcoholic... but when she's not passed out drunk and wasted, she's an outgoing, bubbly kind of girl. Because of her enrolment into SeeD at the age of 10 by non-existent parents, she has a bit of a diva attitude, and is very needy to attention. She's actually quite popular. She likes to help around with things but extremely dislikes anything with modems and has strange phobias with phone lines.  
  
Strengths - Using GF's and magic.  
  
Weakness - Physical attacks  
  
Weapon of Choice - A whip, although her skills with the nunchucks are pretty tight as well.  
  
Personal Background - Had a neglectful childhood. Although she knows how awful they were at times, she still believes that they really love her.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Yuki Star  
  
Age - 15  
  
Height - 5' 6  
  
Appearance - Straight golden blonde hair streaked with a deep purple colour. Usually worn down or in tiny braids that reaches to her shoulders. She has icy blue eyes and wears a sleeveless dark purple top that reaches just above her belly button with a silver mini skirt and black thigh high boots. She has a silver star tattooed around her belly button and a black dragon tattoo along her right arm. She wears a silver anklet around her left ankle and many silver bangles around her right wrist  
  
Personality - Though bright and optimistic she gets angry very easily and is quite gullible. Most people call Yuki immature, which she absolutely hates. She likes to be unique and hates to blend in with the crowd. Yuki is goal oriented and will stop at almost nothing to get what she wants.  
  
Strengths - Magic  
  
Weaknesses - Gullibility, Temper  
  
Weapon of Choice - Dagger  
  
Personal Background - Yuki remembers nothing of her family or her childhood. The farthest back she can remember is a year before she entered Balamb Garden, where she was living in Balamb streets.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Schala Tiea (tay-uh)  
  
Age - 17  
  
Height - 5' 6"  
  
Appearance - She has long black hair, which is almost always tied up in unusual ways. She has very dark purple eyes; often mistaken for brown eyes. Has a slender build and is seen often wearing dresses that usually go all the to her ankle and matching sandals. She has a small scar on her cheek but is very unnoticeable.  
  
Personality - She is extremely quiet, and always keeps things to herself. She has few friends (if any at all), but she seems to attract the male population towards her.  
  
Strengths - She is a fairly good magic user (especially with fire), and has an extremely good aim.  
  
Weakness - She is extremely quick to anger, and when she's mad... no one wants to mess with her. Schala absolutely hates heights and is afraid of knives (though no one knows that she is) for some odd reasons unknown.  
  
Weapon of Choice - She wields a staff and bow. She is often seen with the bow and a flaming arrow.  
  
Personal Background - Currently enrolled in Galbadia Garden as commander. Because of her quietness, she is accused of being an assassin. Nothing is known about her family, and she tells no one about it. Many believe that she ran away from home, while some believe her family died for reasons unknown.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Celeste Pyrnee  
  
Age - 17  
  
Appearance - Blonde hair with blue streaks that is just a few inches longer than shoulder length and ameryst hued eyes. She has a scar on her neck, which is usually hidden by her hair. When not in Garden uniform, she likes to wear a pair of somewhat baggy jeans, a tank top, and clunky black boots.  
  
Personality - Generally outgoing and friendly, but can be somewhat of an antisocial around strangers and people she doesn't trust. She loves sarcasm, and uses it any time available. Likes to pull practical jokes and stunts with her friends.  
  
Strengths - She can be very calm in chaotic situations, smart with computers.  
  
Weaknesses - She doesn't like to be leader, and because of her niceness, she tends to get walked on a lot.  
  
Weapon of Choice - A long sword called Regal Cutlass.  
  
Personal Background - She has an older brother named Luke, who is a SeeD and goes to Balamb Garden also. Her father is a journalist and she doesn't like to talk about her mother.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Guinevere Thompson  
  
Age - 16  
  
Appearance - Shoulder length light brown hair, and green-grey eyes. She has a tiny bump on the left eyebrow as a result of an accident as a child. While Guinevere usually wears a pair of indigo blue jeans and a crimson top, her favourite battle outfit consists of a white sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of jeans cut off at the knees and a pink ribbon tied loosely around her wrist. A pair of pearl earrings are seen in each ear, and a long white trench coat accentuates her look.  
  
Personality - She is generally friendly, easy to talk to, and very intelligent. Not a practical joker, but she does like to kid around. Sarcasm is not her strong forte, but she hardly ever needs to use it because she is always on good terms with everyone in Garden.  
  
Strengths - Hacking into files for SeeD purposes, good sense of humour, and a skilled writer.  
  
Weaknesses - Has a mild disability, but that doesn't affect anything.  
  
Weapon of Choice - Cinquaeda (Italian Small Sword that's 5 finger breadths wide)  
  
Personal Background - She comes from a family of five older brothers. She moved to the garden to get away from them. She gets along well with two of her brothers, but prefers to stay at the garden during breaks to do research and learn how to hack without being caught. She is the only other girl in the family (other than her mother). Though there is a slight tension between her and her mother.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Name - Suzuka  
  
Age - Does not compute  
  
Appearance - Abnormally long blonde hair, amber eyes and small, slender build. Created to look harmless, but one can tell she isn't human by the strange, pink-white ears on the sides of her head. She wears whatever she wants. Most of the time, she is seen is dresses that belie what she is capable of doing. During battle, she wears black ankle boots, black fingerless gloves, a black t-shirt and black shorts. Her long hair is tied in two flowing pigtails by black scarves.  
  
Personality - An A.I. (artificial intelligence), Suzuka acts like every other human, though her mindset is still incomplete. She is well liked, though she has a mischievous side, which sometimes gets her in trouble.  
  
Strengths - Amazing strength, and being an Esthar A.I., she can hack into any computer system.  
  
Weakness - Electricity.  
  
Weapon of Choice - Physical abilities. She's trained in every martial art known to man.  
  
Personal Background - Created by Esthar scientists as an experimental robot with artificial intelligence, Suzuka is more advanced than any other computer created by any other country.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
aznchika - *phew* "that was hard work for some odd reason!! Well, I hope this will turn out alrite... I want it to turn out alrite... but without YOUR" *points to the audience* "help (ahem, i.e. reviewing ^.^) this can't turn out great! So... I really need your help here!!"*smiles sweetly and waits for the reviews to come in* "Thnxs!" 


	2. Chapter01-Mission Briefing

aznchika: Okay... I ALMOST finished the first chapter... and then... it all gets deleted =( That's not good! Well, anyway, I forgot everything I had written here originally... probably about be nice on me for this fic, cuz it's my first that is from an RP... and probably something about I didn't write everything... there were some help from some people from the Seiftis Forever board... and I do believe the people are listed in the characters chapter. Anyway, I'll just re-write/re-edit this whole thing once again...  
  
- - - - -  
  
This morning in Balamb Garden, a handful of capable fighters who were new among the ranks of SeeD were sent an assignment by, none other than, Headmaster Cid. The notes were short and vague, but it was clear that these chosen ones were to meet the Headmaster in his office for their first official assignment as SeeD. The Headmaster now awaits patiently in his office for those who were sent for, as he gazes out into the sunny fields of Balamb.  
  
"I hope... this is the right thing to do." He mutters to himself.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hyne." Jolith mutters to himself as he fumbles with his key to lock the door to his new personal dorm. He didn't like it already - - it was too big and the bed was too small. Not to mention that the whole room smelled of peanuts - -. Then again, there were few things that Jolith liked on his first impression. But his room was definitely not one of them.  
  
"I'm gonna be late." Jolith muttered to himself as he finally managed to lock the unfamiliar door behind him. A small group of girls walked by in the SeeD Dorm Hallway and giggled at the sight of the notoriously capable man struggling with the lock on his door. Scowling at the group as it passed by, Jolith took long strides to the elevator. He knew that if he was caught running, it would cost him being reprimanded from the Disciplinary Committee; and time.  
  
"Fukk," Jolith thought as he reached the elevator. "The Headmaster is probably already letting the other SeeDs into his office right about now." he thought as he sighed in frustration and he watched the level indicator on the elevator intently. "Could this piece of crap go any slower?" he mused.  
  
Cid opened the doors that connected his office to the waiting room in which the SeeDs he had hand picked for this job - - or at least most of them - - waited. "You may come in now." he said in an official tone as he returned to his desk and let the SeeDs in the waiting room follow him in for the mission briefing.  
  
* * *  
  
Razamor scowled at the clock sitting just above Cid's head. 8:15. The headmaster had been talking for nearly fifteen minutes now... but he still hadn't gotten to the point. As he looked around at the other SeeDs, he saw that they too were getting bored. Yuki, a young girl with golden blonde hair streaked purple, sat in one of the few chairs that were in the room. She seemed to be the only one who looked like she had been paying attention to Cid. Celeste, the blonde girl with blue streaks, sat in the chair beside Yuki. She had her head in her hand as she leaned on one of the armrests. Guinevere, the brunette with green-grey eyes, stood, leaning against the wall looking bored to hell. Jolith, who was standing next to him, had his eyes blinking furiously, in a desperate attempt to remain awake.  
  
"...Therefore, I am sending you to..."  
  
Cid was interrupted when his office door came crashing open. A slender girl with coppery hair darted in. She tripped slightly over her own feet, but composed herself and stood at attention, breathing slightly heavily.  
  
Razamor fought the urge to laugh at his best friend. She had always been clumsy, and a big sleeper. It was just like her to oversleep on the day of her first mission.  
  
"Miss Desdin..." Cid began to admonish, frowning. "It is very important for a SeeD to be punctual, and you are fifteen minutes late for this meeting. I don't want to hear any excuses," he cut her off as she opened her mouth to speak.  
  
Just make sure it doesn't happen again."  
  
Lyra nodded and saluted, while Razamor gave her a mocking look over Cid's shoulder. As soon as his back was safely turned, she shot Razamor the finger. This only made him smirk and turn his attention back to Cid. Lyra took her place between Jolith and Razamor.  
  
"Without any more rude interruptions..." he began, shooting Lyra a look that was supposed to be intimidating. She rolled her eyes at Razamor, who coughed to cover up a laugh. "I will get back to the mission briefing."  
  
" summarize," began Cid. After about another 15 minutes summarizing and repeating what he had said early, he was about to tell them the mission. Jolith yawned openly and shook his head at the prospect of finally hearing the assignment, plain and simple. "You will all be sent to Galbadia under command of Racaenni Evan'ture. I must admit, she was quite unclear about her motives," Cid recalled with a slight frown. "But it seems she is in need of SeeD to reclaim something stolen from her." Cid finished.  
  
Jolith rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair with an inward scowl. 'So now we're doing common thieves work. Great,' he mused.  
  
"There are no trains to Galbadia tomorrow, so you will be sent later today, and will arrive near midnight. You will meet with the client at 7 am sharp tomorrow morning. You have reservations at the Chicobo Hotel," Cid said as he paced the room. Stopping in mid-step, he eyed the group of SeeDs. "I trust you will not do anything to dishonour SeeD's good name in your free time." he said, almost as a question. He seemed to be looking at Lyra in particular, who only stared icily at the Headmaster as soon as he turned away.  
  
"Yes, sir!" rang the SeeD's chorus of voices. Cid nodded. "Very well then. Report to the Balamb Train Station in 5 hours. I recommend you use that time wisely to pack."  
  
* * *  
  
Schala stood at the front gates of Galbadia Garden as she 'listened' to Miss Evan'ture explain about something stolen. Schala didn't really ever pay attention, but somehow she always got the gist of it.  
  
"Schala! Did you hear anything I said?!" Racaenni Evan'ture shouted, slightly disgusted.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, what did I say?" she asked, obviously annoyed at the teenage girl.  
  
"You said that I will keeping on eye on the SeeDs that are coming from Balamb tonight. To make sure they do not do any damage to Galbadia." Schala replied, bored out of her mind.  
  
"And...?" Racaenni began tapping her foot impatiently.  
  
"And to help recover the 'missing' artifact."  
  
"Very good. Now, in approximately 5 hours, they will board the train. So, in other words, I want you to go and meet them in 8 hours. You got that?"  
  
"Yes." Schala despised this woman, but then again, Racaenni hated her too. If it weren't for the headmaster, Racaenni would probably never let Schala on any missions. She never trusted Schala.  
  
"You will be here there in eight hours. You are dismissed." With that, the two went in there separate directions.  
  
* * *  
  
Quite simply, Victoria didn't want to go. She wanted to stick around and party. After all, the Exams were coming up soon and almost everyone had a big party after those. And she was out of liquor, another reason not to go. She looked into the corner of her closet, her whip and nunchucks were both dirty and unused.  
  
As much as she didn't want to go, no one got the chance to just take and pick what mission they would be attending. Nope. She hated Traveling. She hated having to use the phone. She hated everything about this mission.  
  
"Hey Vic!" She heard someone shouting through the door.  
  
"Hey Mag"" She heard the door click, she didn't even bother to turn around, but continued to pack.  
  
"Vic! What are you doing?!" She shouted as her friend continued to pack.  
  
"Packing."  
  
"What do you mean packing? What about the party???"  
  
"Can't. Got called on a mission or something. I can't go." She replied. Mag only sighed.  
  
"Oh..." Victoria zipped her suitcase shut as her roommate continued to spaz. She then picked up and began walking out.  
  
"Bye Maggie! See ya in a while!" Victoria called.  
  
"Have Fun! I'll drink an extra bottle of whiskey for ya!" Mag smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
Guinevere scowled as she packed her sword carefully into her pack. She didn't really want to go on this mission.  
  
"Damn," she whispered, "Where's my laptop?"  
  
Guinevere would need her laptop if she were going to have to hack into any files for the mission. She smirked as she finally found it, and carefully put it in its case. She then rushed out to the entrance, her light brown hair flying everywhere as she hefted her pack onto her shoulder.  
  
"Hi...Sorry I'm late... I was trying to find this thing" Guinevere said, gesturing to the laptop bag.  
  
"You're not late, don't worry about it. Still missing quite a few people." Victoria began. "Umm, Guinevere, why are you bringing your laptop?" Victoria asked, "I don't see any reason that you would need it."  
  
"Headmaster Cid told me I needed to take it, he said that I might have to hack into some files during this mission." Guinevere stated, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
* * *  
  
Yuki sat in her room tugging at her bag that wouldn't tie shut. "I'm gunna be late if I have to completely repack." she sighed before dumping the contents of the bag onto her bed. After stuffing what she could into her bag she headed for the entrance of the garden. Headmaster Cid had gotten mad at that girl who was late at the briefing. He'd be furious if she was late for her first mission... 'as long as I don't miss the train'. She thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Celeste sighed as she stuffed her disc man and sword into her small duffle bag with the rest of her stuff. Zipping it up, she slung it over her shoulder and opened the door to her dorm, only to come face to face with her brother, Luke.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, half annoyed. Luke simply smiled.  
  
"I just wanted to say good-bye and good luck with the mission," he replied calmly, looking around her room. He spotted her electric guitar and pointed at it. "I also wanted to know if I could borrow that while you're gone."  
  
Celeste nodded and set down her duffle bag, walking back into her room. She picked up the sleek blue guitar and walked back over to Luke, handing it to him.  
  
"You can borrow it while I'm gone, but if I come back and it's mysteriously 'disappeared' or broken, I swear I will have your head under an axe."  
  
"Okay, okay. Good luck with the mission!" Luke left, and Celeste turned around, locking the door to her dorm. Picking up her duffle bag, she headed to the front gate.  
  
* * *  
  
Lyra was never really one for packing. She tossed in a few pairs of clothes, a hairbrush, and a book on battle tactics in case she got bored (which she was almost certain she would). Then she got back to the one aspect of packing that she enjoyed - - arranging her knives in their case - -. All of them perfectly polished and sharpened for the mission. She smiled faintly as she ran a finger softly along the blade of an eight-inch knife she was particularly fond of.  
  
The creaking and closing of her door was heard behind her. With lightning speed she turned around, and her knife was pinned through the intruder's shirt collar to the door.  
  
Razamor was unfazed, and looked at Lyra with a raised brow.  
  
"You're paying for this shirt, you know."  
  
Lyra walked over, pulling the knife from his shirt and freeing him.  
  
"Well, you're paying for my door." she smirked, and pointed to the mark on the door.  
  
"For the knife that you threw into it? I think not."  
  
"Then learn how to knock." Lyra growled, putting her last knife into the case, closing and locking it firmly. She turned and brushed a piece of copper hair out of her eyes. "You all packed?"  
  
Razamor nodded and lifted up a tan rucksack for her to see. "Yeah, are you all done? We still have time to kill, so I thought we'd get lunch in Balamb before meeting everyone at the station." Lyra shrugged.  
  
"Sure. Just one more thing." She strode over to her shelf, which had a long row of Potions and Antidotes neatly laid out. She proceeded to stuff several of each into her many pockets.  
  
"Ahh, so that's what those pockets are for. I always wondered." Razamor grinned.  
  
"Always be prepared," Lyra smirked. "Okay, let's go." She grabbed her bag and knife case while Razamor opened the door for her.  
  
"So, do all those potions ever make your pants fall down?" Razamor ventured.  
  
"Shut up." she mumbled and walked out. Razamor just shrugged, and closed the door behind them.  
  
* * *  
  
Jolith sighed as he watched the Balamb Train Station slowly fade out from view as the train to Galbadia took off. The warm expression on the Headmaster's face annoyed the gunblade specialist to no end. Could Cid be any more fake if he *tried*?  
  
Jolith slung his worn red leather suitcase onto the seat beside him and sat down next to it. Nothing to do now but wait to get to Galbadia... He considered his options. Stay here... go to the on-train bar that guests with special rooms - - such as SeeDs - - had exclusive access to... read magazines that had been set out... or order 'room service'... Jolith sighed. He'd prefer to stay here and wait.  
  
* * *  
  
She stood pacing around the front gates for a while already. She was beginning to get impatient, and annoyed. It's strange how the littlest of things annoyed her.  
  
"Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. Now, let's try this again..." Schala said to herself. She stood in a proud upright position and held out her hand. "Welcome to Galbadia! I'm Schala and... no no, I sound like a waitress!" She shook her head in disgust.  
  
"Okay, let's try this again..." she took another deep breath. "ThisisGalbadiaGarden.Iwillbeguidingyou..." She stopped. "Slow down, and I really shouldn't be so nervous!" Suddenly, she felt someone's arm wrap around her waist. She quickly spun around and kicked the intruder... right where it hurts.  
  
The male fell backwards swearing at her and ... protecting it.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted angrily.  
  
"Zueny. What are you doing?!" Schala demanded as she held an arrow at his throat.  
  
"Whoa! Simmer down girl! I just came to see what you were up to! Oh, and headmaster wishes to see your presence. Immediately." He backed away from the vicious female.  
  
"Whatever." She started to walk back into the garden. Just as she entered the garden, she was greeted by, none other than, Martine.  
  
"Ah! Schala! There you are. I was looking for you." He said.  
  
"Yes. Zueny told me."  
  
"Right. Well, it's about the mission. Remember what I told you before. You MUSTN'T forget it. It is vital in order for this mission to be a success. I'm counting on you Schala. Failure is NOT acceptable." He said to her, in a low voice that only she could her.  
  
"Yes sir." She replied emotionless.  
  
"I do believe they will be arriving soon. You should go and meet them."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"You are dismissed." She saluted him and he nodded. Schala then approached the doors.  
  
"You will see what I have in store for you." She muttered, pushing the doors open roughly.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Waiting... train riding... under phone lines... all of it equalled one thing for poor Victoria... paranoia. She looked out the window to see another phone line, about to cross their path.  
  
"Are you guys sure we won't hit that one?!" She squealed to the other SeeD members in her cabin. Some of them obviously thought she was doing it for attention. They wouldn't think that if they had a fear like she did. As they passed under another phone line, another one appeared.  
  
"How about that one!?"  
  
"We're not going to hit any of the phone lines." Jolith said coldly when he could stand Victoria's ridiculous no more. "They wouldn't allow us on this train if it was unsafe." he said in a way that made Victoria feel stupid of her phobia.  
  
All of a sudden, the train came to a complete halt, jerking the riders mercilessly into the wall. A young, feminine voice came onto the microphone. "Sorry 'bout that!" she said as the SeeDs struggled to stand up. "We are currently stationed at Galbadia Train Station now. Everyone who will be disembarking at this time, um... well, please disembark!"  
  
Guinevere was the first to get out of the train. She stood on the train platform, and glanced at the other members of her team. There were many people in Deling... that was good, in her opinion, it meant that she wouldn't be recognized.  
  
"Come on." Jolith said, starting to get cranky.  
  
"Shut up, Jolith... We've gotta wait for the bus." Guinevere snapped, the late ride getting the better of her. She'd spent most of the ride looking up files for the assignment on her laptop, seeing if there was any information possible on the news links, but there hadn't been anything. The mission was top-secret.  
  
"Hey, Torrie," Guinevere said, "The bus is here"  
  
Victoria didn't even glance at the girl.  
  
* * *  
  
Schala stood in front of the Chicobo Hotel, tapping her foot impatiently.  
  
"How long does it take for them to get here? They're already 3 minutes late!!!" She mumbled to herself as she began pacing around the front entrance. People who were walking by looked at her strangely, but decided best to not say anything.  
  
Schala then opened a folder she was holding and began reading the files.  
  
"Jolith Merlis. 18. 6 foot. Male. Weapon of Choice, gunblade. Strengths, fighting and fire magic. Fire magic eh? Heh, I should have a duel with him one day and see if he is really good at fire." She smiled wickedly. "Razamor Warsen. 17. 6 foot 3. Male. Strength, agility. Weapon of choice, broadsword." She began flipping through the other files. "Only two males?!"  
  
"Lyra Desden. 16. 5 foot 5. Female. W.O.C (weapon of choice) knives and daggers. Strengths, aim, healing and water magic. Hmmm, she could be trouble." Schala said thoughtfully. "Victoria. 15. Strengths, gfs. Female. W.O.C whip/nunchucks. Yuki Star. 15. 5'6". Female. Strength, magic. W.O.C dagger."  
  
Schala yawned and looked around to see if the SeeDs had arrived yet, seeing that they didn't she finished reading the profiles. "Celeste Pyrnee. 17. Female. Strength, computer whiz. W.O.C long sword. Guinevere Thompson. 16. Female. Strength, hacker. W.O.C Cinquaeda." Schala then closed the folder, as she was getting tired of reading the profiles. She slumped down and leaned against the side railing of the stairs as she waited impatiently for the SeeDs to arrive.  
  
* * *  
  
Jolith looked up from the map and out the bus window. Glancing back at the map, Jolith nodded sharply as he proceeded to roll it up.  
  
"This is it." he said. The bus had pulled to a stop in front of the Chicobo Hotel and Jolith shoved the map messily into his pocket with his offhand, as his right one was busy grasping a red-hilted gunblade that received many wary stares. The gunblade specialist glanced behind him to assure that the other SeeDs were behind him. Turning back around, Jolith was surprised - - and a bit suspicious - - to see a brunette girl with violet eyes glancing back and forth between the group and some files.  
  
Nodding almost as if to confirm her thoughts, the girl walked toward the group with determination in her every step. Then she introduced herself...  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
  
  
aznchika: okay... ORIGINALLY, this was way longer!!! But because my stupid computer doesn't know the difference between saving and deleting... this has become shorter... anyway, I hope you like this... (tho, not much has happened yet... and I was actually about some pairings... but they'll happen a little later on...) 


	3. Chapter02-More Details Please

aznchika: Well, here's chapter two... I hope this is coming along alright... though the reviews aren't!!! *tear* *tear* Oh well... *sniffles* I guess not many people's reading this...  
  
"Welcome! I am Schala. I will be guiding you through this mission. Tonight, you shall all rest in the Chicobo Hotel." She turned around and pointed at the big building labelled 'Chicobo Hotel'. "Your bags shall be brought up there for you. You're rooms are on floor 4f. Two to a room. The doors shall be unlock and two pairs of keys shall be inside the room. Tomorrow, you shall meet Miss Racaenni Evan'ture, where she will give you our mission briefing. If you have any questions," She looked at Jolith strangely as if he were a curse. "I shall provide you as much information as I can. I hope you shall enjoy your stay here." She then motioned for the bellhops to bring in the luggage.  
  
'Oh hyne. I sound like a tourist guide.' She thought to herself and shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, Where can I find the bar?" Victoria asked all of a sudden. She received several strange glances, one especially from tour guide Barbie herself, Stash, or Schala. Whatever. "I'm going to be thirsty!" She crossed her fingers that they didn't card here... or that one of these teammates were helpful in the age department. Schala decided to ignore that comment.  
  
"I'm sure you're all exhausted from you're trip. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Schala walked into the building.  
  
After she finished talking, Celeste had enough time to think on her way up to her room, turning her disc man up louder. The trip here was quiet most of the way, everyone anxious and probably wishing to be somewhere other than on this hyne-forsaken mission. She felt the same way, and wished that she didn't let her brother borrow her guitar. Not because she didn't trust him or anything, but playing it made her relax. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to the fourth floor. Picking up her duffle bag from the ground, she walked out and went to find her room.  
  
* * *  
  
Victoria landed a spot in her room rather quickly. Almost extremely anxious to meet her roommate. Almost as anxious as she was to get to the bar. She hadn't been drunk in a while, and drinking felt good. Especially good when she wasn't paying for it. So she grabbed a room... any room and walked in, hoping to see someone else occupying the room. Fortunately, there was someone else. The brunette was sitting on her twin-sized bed, doing nothing much that appeared to Victoria's eyes. It was beyond her how anyone could just sit.  
  
Waiting... one of her least favourite things to do. And her least favourite thing about this situation was that she couldn't remember the girl's name... hyne. She hated that feature of the GF's. Memory recollection was horrible. Tori would have said something, anything, if only she knew the girl's name. She knew it started with... a G...Ginny...Guinevere... Yea. that was it. Guinevere  
  
"Hey Gwen!" Victoria smiled. Guinevere looked up and nodded at her. As if to say, 'I am aware of your presence.' Victoria frowned. She needed to get out of here. Then the thought occurred to her. The bar!  
  
* * *  
  
Schala walked to the elevator. As she was waiting for the elevator, she began cursing under breath a lot.  
  
"Why did I have to accept this fukkin' mission?! Argh, I swear, if it weren't for that thing we're looking for, I would have NEVER accepted it. Fukk. If all these people are as weird as that Victoria girl, I will die." Suddenly the elevator door slid open. She stepped in and pressed to '4f' button.  
  
"Maybe first impressions aren't always the right impression. That Victoria girl could be a sweet lil angel for all I know. But then again, she could be the devil's left hand. I'm thinking too much. I shouldn't judge people before I know them... yes, that's right. That's what I'll do. I won't judge them until I get to know a little more of them." The elevator made a pinging sound and slid open. Schala walked into the corridor and went into the first room on the left. To her surprise, she saw Guinevere already occupying the room.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I walked into the wrong room." Schala quickly walked out of the room and into the third door on the left. "Shit. I probably made a fool of myself. Stupid Evan'ture. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have to stay here and 'watch' these SeeDs." Schala dropped her stuff on the floor and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth.  
  
* * *  
  
Razamor and Lyra found Victoria's idea to be a good one, and took a corner booth in the bar. Razamor was fuming over the room arrangements.  
  
"I have Jolith. What the hell?!"  
  
"Jolith is the only other guy." Lyra shrugged, downing her drink in a gulp.  
  
"We're still not allowed to have co-ed rooming arrangements? We're mature teenagers... what are we going to do that's so bad... dammit, I wanted a girl."  
  
"You wanted me..." Lyra said with a sly grin. The drink was clearly already going to her head. She reached over for Razamor's drink, which was only half finished, but he pulled it out of her grasp.  
  
"Who are you rooming with?" he asked, still quite annoyed.  
  
"I've got... um..." she shook her head, trying to clear it. "Oh yeah, I got Celeste."  
  
"Lucky...she's kind of cute." Razamor said with a sigh.  
  
"You think every girl is cute. And like I care if she's cute, I'm *straight*!" Lyra was ready for a brawl.  
  
"One can never tell, you never let guys near you," Razamor smirked. At her glare, he stood and helped her out of her seat. "Drinking on your first night on the mission... I better take you to your room before you get completely smashed."  
  
'I wonder if Celeste is already there...' he wondered along the way.  
  
* * *  
  
Yuki threw her bag onto one of the two beds and sat down. 'I wonder who I'm rooming with' she thought. 'Oh that paper they gave me with my room number had it on there I think.." she said to herself searching through her pockets and bag for the paper before giving up. "Oh well I'll find out soon enough."  
  
* * *  
  
Guinevere had refused to go to the bar with Victoria, even though she had pleaded. She had important hacking work to attend to. That included scouring the information links that were provided by the Galbadian government. After a few hours later, she sighed. She was completely frustrated. She'd wasted an opportunity to 'get to know' her partners in this mission just for little more information on the assignment. Though she had found none.  
  
The door suddenly swung open, and there stood Victoria, obviously drunk, leaning on Jolith's arm as he helped her walk. Guinevere slammed down the lid of her laptop, and walked over to Jolith, taking Victoria's other arm.  
  
"How long has she been like this?" Guinevere asked Jolith, who only shrugged.  
  
"I don't know... seems like she gets drunk fairly easily." Jolith replied.  
  
Jolith helped Victoria onto her bed and shook his head in disgust. "Did you know half the SeeDs on this mission are down there, at the bar?" he asked, almost rhetorically. "I just hope they have a better tolerance for alcohol than she does." he said as he gestured to a totally plastered Victoria. After helping Victoria, Jolith left the Chicobo Hotel, only to find himself, 15 minutes later, walking in the familiar streets of Galbadia. Sure, he was glad to be on his first real mission, and he knew he'd have to visit Galbadia again eventually, but... Jolith stopped short in front of his old house he had lived in with his father before leaving for Balamb Garden. Shaking his head - - almost angry at himself for going there unconsciously - - Jolith spun around and walked back the way he came.  
  
He had gone to Balamb to get *away* from that place, so why would he go back? Jolith started back toward the Chicobo Hotel, intent on turning in for the night.  
  
* * *  
  
Celeste sat cross-legged on her bed, flipping through a magazine. Victoria made a quick appearance, asking if she wanted to go to the bar with a few of them, but she declined, not in the mood for a drink. Just a few minutes after that, she saw see Jolith dragging Victoria to her room, who was passed out cold.  
  
'Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into? If I'm not killed, I'll surely go insane by the end of this mission.' Telling herself to lighten up, she flipped to the next page of her magazine.  
  
* * *  
  
"BRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRRING!" rang Jolith's alarm early the next morning. Groaning and turning around, he sat up and turned off the annoyingly loud alarm clock. Blinking and rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes, Jolith yawned drowsily. Where was he...? Oh yeah. Galbadia - - this morning he would be meeting Racaenni Evan'ture for his first real SeeD assignment. Jolith sighed and stretched. He was not a morning person. He could see Razamor in the second bed waking up as well, probably from his alarm clock. "Dibs on the first shower." Jolith slurred sleepily as he started toward the bathroom.  
  
* * *  
  
Schala got up from her bed after she read the large red numbers on the bed stand. 6:30. She stretched her arms and yawned. She looked at her roommate, Yuki, who was still asleep. Hastily, Schala walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, throwing her clothes to the floor.  
  
After her scalding hot shower, She put on a dark blue dress. The dress was sleeveless and reached to her ankles. The back her skin but stopped slightly above her waist and had a little angel halo with wings there. Next she blow dried her hair and put it into another unusual hairstyle. Today it formed a butterfly with a hair-stick in the middle to form its body, and to hold the hair up.  
  
When she finished getting ready, she left room, but glancing at the clock first. 8:30. She quietly closed the door, making sure she wouldn't wake up Yuki. Next she entered the elevator, where she went straight to the little restaurant in the hotel. She was surprised to see Jolith already there.  
  
"Good morning Jolith. Hope you slept well. Ready for the mission today?" She took a seat at his table, sitting right across from him.  
  
Jolith looked up from his coffee at the table, and the uneaten apple lying next to it. She was... sitting with him? Surprising. He took a sip of his coffee, his face showing none of his surprise. He sighed. She'd learn how bad he was at conversation and all that social shit in time.  
  
"Slept fine," he said offhandedly, an edge to his voice. "And I'm as ready as I'm ever gonna be..." he said, more than a bit surprised to find some of the nervousness he felt being portrayed in his voice. With that, he stood up and flipped his apple simply into the air and caught it again. A nervous habit. Abandoning his coffee, Jolith walked to the lobby and took a bite of his apple. 'Idle chit chat... bah, who needs it? I'll just wait in the lobby for everyone to come down.' He thought.  
  
Schala looked back at Jolith who just suddenly left.  
  
"Fukk! I was just trying to talk to him. What the hell is his problem?! Does he think I'm a monster or something?!" She muttered under her breath angrily as she went over to the concession to order an iced cappuccino. After she returned to her table and continued mumbling to herself.  
  
"I'm gonna give that guy a piece of my mind later. Fukk!" She continued to curse under her breath. She decided to stop mumbling when she began to notice other guests started look at her strangely. 'What the hell are you looking at?' She thought as she glared at one of the people staring at her. Then she began cursing at Jolith in her head for making her so angry in the morning.  
  
* * *  
  
Guinevere was suddenly awoken by Victoria.  
  
"Get up" She hissed into Guinevere's ear.  
  
Guinevere struggled to get up, and propped herself up on her hand.  
  
"What is it, Tori?" Guinevere asked.  
  
"You're going to be late for the mission briefing!" Victoria then jumped off the bed and headed for the bathroom.  
  
"Argh..... Damn! This hangover..." Victoria muttered, placing a hand on her forehead. "I had too much to drink last night."  
  
Meanwhile, Guinevere wrapped a large dressing gown around herself as she took some clothes out of her bag. When Victoria came out of the washroom, fully dressed, Gwen walked into the bathroom. She emerged, fully dressed three minutes later, towelling her hair dry.  
  
"Let's go..." Guinevere said, only to notice her roommate already gone. She sighed slightly and exited her room.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Celeste slowly opened her eyes when a loud buzz came from beside her. Lazily reaching her hand over to the alarm clock, she went to press the snooze button, only not to find one. Sitting upright, she picked up the clock, looking all over it for a snooze button. Still not finding it, she sighed then got out of bed. She took a quick shower, and dressed into her usual attire. When she finished getting ready, she went downstairs to the small restaurant.  
  
"G'morning! May I help you?" The lady behind the counter asked cheerfully.  
  
"Uh... I would like a grande double shot iced mocha with non-fat whip creme and substitute the milk with soy milk please." The lady nodded, jotting down her order. Quickly making the coffee drink, she turned back and handed it to Celeste, who handed her some gil. Thanking the lady, Celeste went to find a table.  
  
* * *  
  
To say that Guinevere was bored was an understatement. She was as bored as the figurative Lady of Shallot, locked high in the tower in Camelot.  
  
"Does anyone know how long they're gonna keep us waiting," Jolith grumbled, arms folded, leaning against the wall in a very Squall-esque pose.  
  
"I don't know." Guinevere heard herself saying.  
  
"Damn..." Jolith muttered, still in his position.  
  
After downing some Advil, Victoria was back on the top of the morning. They were all sitting around in the lobby, doing next to nothing. Just waiting. And then Schala came down, ready to tell them exactly what they would be doing.  
  
Schala stood in front of the group, feeling slightly uneasy, but she didn't show it. Clearing her throat, she began speaking.  
  
"As you all already know, Miss Evan'ture is supposed to be briefing this mission, apparently, she had an urgent call this morning and is at Dollet right now. So I will brief our mission." She scanned the area to make sure all the SeeDs were present. When she saw Jolith, she glared at him for a brief moment and began cursing at him in her head... again.  
  
"Approximately three nights ago, Galbadia was robbed. I'm sure you all know about this..." She looked at the SeeDs as they shook their heads 'no'. "Anyway, along with many missing furniture and study supplies - - which can be replaced - - we also lost our most valuable possession. The Grungir. It doesn't have much value, but it is fairly important to Galbadia, as it is somewhat, like the foundation of Galbadia." Schala swore at herself under her breath about how lame her little speech sounded.  
  
"As for the Grungir, we have very little clues about its whereabouts. BUT... we believe that a man in Deling City may have the answer to its whereabouts. We believe, he was the one stealing it for some unknown person." She turned her head to face Gwen. "Miss Guinevere, I want to find out who this man is. He is believed to be in his mid 40's, has a missing arm, and a broken leg." Then she turned to face the whole group again.  
  
"We will be heading to Deling in about half an hour. We will be proceeding on a train, and are undercover. Once we get to Deling, we'll split up in groups of 2 or 3. You will all bring your luggage, so it is recommended that you pack light. Now, is there any questions?"  
  
  
  
- --- - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
aznchika: Well here is chapter 2!! ^.^ I hope this is okay... I'll try to get the next chapter up soon... but I can't make any promises! And since I'll probably forget to ask this later... any specific pairings you want to see? I know there are only two guys... . But, I'd like to see which pairings most people would like to see... although... we've - - the RP people, mention in chapter 00 - - already have the pairings... I'll probably ask this question again later... . If I remember... lol... anyway, please review! It helps me A LOT when there's reviews...  
  
also...  
  
Do you like Seiftis/Quiefers? If you do, please read my other fic, Wanted Love, Unwanted Person. It is *almost* complete! 


	4. Chapter03-Grungir

aznchika: Ky, you're so right! The only ones who have read this are people from the board... *sigh* it's probably because my editing skills are so horrible... *sniff* *sniff* You think maybe I should quit doing this...? well, here's the next chapter from the horrible editor and a terrible procrastinator named... aznchika!  
  
- - - - - - - -  
  
"ARE there any questions," Jolith suddenly corrected as Schala fumed. That was twice this morning Jolith had gotten under the mysterious woman's skin.  
  
After a small pause, Jolith raised in hand in a mocking style of what a schoolchild would do. "What exactly *is* the Grungir? A ring, some kinda coat-of-arms, or what?" Jolith asked as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "It's gonna be pretty hard to find it if we don't what it is..." he smirked, his voice nearly dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Schala opened her mouth to say something, but Guinevere spoke up. "I know what Grungir is." she said.  
  
"Then tell us." snapped Jolith, getting cranky.  
  
"It's the spear of Odin." Guinevere said softly.  
  
If the group had been shocked, they definitely were now. She knew so much about the legends.  
  
"How do you know this, Guinevere?" Victoria asked, taking an interest in the conversation.  
  
Guinevere smiled. "I learnt it through hacking and stuff...Speaking of which, Schala needs me to do some hacking."  
  
Schala only blinked in astonishment as Gwen explained to the group what the Grungir was.  
  
'Shit! She's going to be major trouble for me. How did she know about it?! Oh well... I'm sure she doesn't know what it does exactly... at least she... shouldn't... this could be a great deal of trouble is she did. No she wouldn't know. Only headmaster, Raecanni, and I know. I'm just getting all jumpy for no reason whatsoever. It's alright... it's alright, take a deep breath. All okay.' Schala thought in her mind, trying to reassure herself. 'Only headmaster, Raecanni, and I... no one else could possibly know, unless one of the other two told... but with something so important, obviously, they wouldn't.' She continued to remind herself, trying to calm herself as much as possible. Thankfully, she didn't hint that she was uneasy, at least, no one noticed.  
  
'Miss Guinevere, if you could, please locate exactly where he is.' Schala then faced the group. 'You are all dismissed. I will be waiting in the front for you.' She looked at the watch on her wrist. 'You have exactly 23 minutes before departure.'  
  
She the casually walked through the group, heading towards the front door. On her way, as she passed by Jolith, she purposely bumped into him roughly. He lost his balance, nearly falling over. She smiled innocently at him.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." She said sympathetically, however sarcasm was dripping everywhere. She continued to walk to the front, cursing at that blasted Jolith under her breath, and smiling at herself for a job well done.  
  
Stumbling, Jolith glanced back at Schala as she nearly tripped him, and he muttered a curse under his breath. 'What was her problem...? Oh well,' he thought. 'Best to concentrate on the mission, and not personal grudges.'  
  
* * *  
  
"Odin..." Razamor whispered thoughtfully. "Grungir... legendary weapon... Slepnir... legendary horse..."  
  
He paced, a habit he tended to have whenever an idea was forming. Lyra watched him from behind, arms crossed comfortably behind her head; one eyebrow raised in interest. She knew that Razamor had a special interest in Guardian Forces... it was basically his only interest besides women and fighting.  
  
"Odin...Grungir...Slepnir..." he continued to muse. "Could such a trio, really be the foundation of Galbadia...?"  
  
"What are you on about, Razi?" The annoying nickname effectively gained his attention.  
  
"Don't call me that," he snapped. "Something about Schala's explanation is a little suspicious... I don't really trust the woman."  
  
* * *  
  
As Celeste finished her coffee, she noticed Schala bump into Jolith. 'What's up with those two?' Shaking her head, she headed up to her room to pack.  
  
Guinevere followed her example and walked back to her own room. As she entered her room, she smiled when she saw that her precious Cinquaeda had not been damaged or touched - - that thing was rare - -.  
  
Her packing was light. She really only needed her laptop, her sword and a few changes of clothing. Guinevere was not one to dwell on past mistakes. Her easy-going attitude was slightly dampened by Schala's odd behaviour, which probably was because of the mistrust Schala had of her. While that was true, Guinevere also harboured deep suspicion about what the true motives of this mission were. She knew the dangers, but was willing to take charge if the occasion arose. Even so, she'd be glad when the mission was over.  
  
Moments later, Guinevere smirked as she pulled her large bag out of the luggage rack with ease. She felt like something was about to happen, something that could make or break the entire mission.  
  
Guinevere casually walked out of her room and into the elevator. After the elevator arrived on the main floor and the doors slid open, she saw Jolith heading towards the front doors.  
  
"Jolith! Wait up!" Guinevere called out. He stopped walking, but didn't turn his head. Gwen ran up to him and they both started to walk out the door.  
  
"Do you think that there's something Schala's not telling us?" Gwen asked, hoping someone would agree with her.  
  
"Probably." Jolith replied.  
  
"Well, nice to know someone agrees with me." Gwen said jovially, trying to keep a happy mood up.  
  
As they both walked to the front of the hotel to wait for the others, Jolith frowned. "What gets me wondering, is how can a guy with a missing and arm and a crippled leg get a hold of something like Grungir..."  
  
Jolith crossed his arms and was leaning casually against the front wall of the hotel. He set the stuff he was bringing - - in a worn red backpack - - on the ground as he started to wonder. But not only did he wonder about the Grungir, he wondered about this Guinevere as well. 'Why was she being so nice?' He really wasn't used to this. Shaking his head slightly, Jolith walked over to the other side of the door, his back facing towards Gwen. 'Maybe she's up to something... I bet that's it... those hacker types are notoriously sneaky...'  
  
Schala stood nearby, reading over some files and didn't notice when everyone was finally ready to leave. After a few moments, Jolith couldn't take this lag anymore.  
  
"Are we ready to go yet?" He asked impatiently.  
  
Schala looked up from her files, slightly perturbed. "I guess so..." She turned to face everyone. "Let's head out. We'll board the train to head to Deling. Instructions will be given once we arrive." She turned around and began walking, not bothering to make sure everyone else was following her.  
  
"Stupid Jolith." she muttered.  
  
Jolith, on the other hand, was taking longer strides than Schala and passed in front of her as soon as she finished dissing him under her breath. He had heard her, but he appeared un-phased... if anything, he had found humour in it judging by the wry smile on his face.  
  
Flashing his train ticket at the train attendant, he boarded the vessel destined for Deling. The he took a seat near the window and watched everyone else board.  
  
Razamor and Lyra boarded next. They both looked pissed, as though they had just gotten into a fight along the way. Jolith watched them in a lazy manner.  
  
Razamor sat in a seat behind Jolith's, Lyra a seat ahead.  
  
'What's going on there?' Jolith mused.  
  
Victoria got on the train, eventually. She quickly grabbed for her ticket and took a seat on the outside, away from the window so that Mr. Crankypants couldn't diss her because she couldn't see the power-lines and thus couldn't get afraid. Unfortunately the only seats left away from the window was next to Mr. Crankypants. She took her seat somewhat angrily. Not that she looked angry. Then again, everyone else looked angry for some reason or another. So maybe to fit in, she'd look angry anyway... or she'd do something drastic to cheer everyone up with. And everyone was all freaked for some reason. And she was bored again. How long was the train ride again?  
  
* * *  
  
Guinevere smiled as she pulled out her laptop. She *was* going to have some luck this time. Her lucky break had come with the knowledge of Grungir, the Spear of Odin. Now she knew where to look.  
  
firewall: fiu204Guinevere typed in, overriding the firewalls. She smiled as she was greeted with a wealth of information, all dealing with the subject of Grungir.  
  
password:kramer She knew she was blatantly hacking into the Garden's files, but it was part of the job. Not like she minded.  
  
Pages and pages of information flashed up on the subject, making Guinevere's eyes swim with the overwhelming size of the source.  
  
check source code Guinevere typed in, taking no chances with this mission. A long line of HTML came up, and she deciphered it easily.  
  
"Hmm. Interesting." Guinevere murmured to nobody in particular, even though her friend was sitting in the seat beside her.  
  
"Huh, did you say something, Gwen?" Lyra asked.  
  
"Sorry, I was talking to myself, Lyra," Guinevere replied, quick to assure the girl.  
  
"Ok..." Lyra said.  
  
Guinevere was placed in an uneasy silence. She scratched the back of her head, and bit her lip as she started typing away again.  
  
'Computer types...they always seem to know something I don't.' Lyra mused, giving Gwen and her laptop a searching look. 'Then again, even pinheads like Razamor seem to have a better idea of what is going on than I do.'  
  
She looked backwards, catching Razamor trying to burn a hole in the back of her head with his eyes. She scowled and turned back around, returning to her thoughts.  
  
'Just because I haven't paid attention to Instructor Trepe in History of GFs all year doesn't mean I'm personally betraying him... he's such a drama queen.'  
  
* * *  
  
Schala sat on the train watching the other members. She wasn't feeling too good.  
  
'Deling... I have avoided that place so much... and now... I must go there... why...? the pain...' She thought, afraid of something that no one seemed to understand except herself. 'That girl...' Schala turned her gaze to Guinevere, who was still quite busy looking for information. 'she knows too much. She will definitely be trouble.. nothing... is going according to plan. Everything seems totally wrong.' She sighed. There's no point thinking about all that right now.  
  
All of a sudden, the whole train shook violently. Something was going on... but what? Lyra jumped out of her seat, as did Schala. Something was wrong. Schala quickly took out her bow and grabbed an arrow.  
  
"I think we're under attacked!" She shouted as everyone began drawing their weapons. Gwen quickly put her laptop away and took out her weapon. Right on cue, four monsters materialized inside the train.  
  
They were in a woman form, only with horns and wings, and dark, dark ghastly skin.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" Celeste shouted.  
  
"Demonians. The devil's hand-maidens." Schala replied. "Alright. We'll split up fighting them. Lyra, you're water based, so take up the red one with Yuki. It's strength is fire. Razamor, Victoria, take the yellow one. She's lightning based. Guinevere, Celeste, you two take the white one. It's All-Elemental. Jolith, you and I are fire-based, we'll take the blue one. It's ice. Attack!" Schala shouted as she cast a fire spell on her arrow and shot it at the demon. It screeched in pain and sent a gust of wind towards Schala, pushing her back.  
  
'Damn, this could be trouble.' She thought as she got up.  
  
Cursing the bad timing, Jolith nodded at Schala. Her orders made sense. Dropping his pack to hold his gunblade properly, Jolith turned towards the ice monster and was hit with a blast of wind in the face. Gritting his teeth, Jolith stood his ground throughout the attack, and proceeded to hack at the thing with his gunblade. Some may call him foolish for not using fire magic- his specialty- against it, but he called it strategy. Why use magic when you don't *have* to?  
  
Schala, on the other hand was pissed! That beast had attacked her! She began mumbling under her breath and cast Firaga at the beast. Again, it hollered in pain, then suddenly cast Blizzaga at her.  
  
'I shouldn't of known this before.' Schala thought as she staggered. 'It counterattacks when attacked with magic.' She noted as she glanced at Jolith who was hacking at that thing with his gunblade. Once Schala refocused, she cast Curaga on herself. Then waited as her hp went back up. She was about to attack when the beast attacked her once again, causing confusion on her.  
  
'Why is it only attacking me?!' Schala thought angrily. Fortunately confusion had no effect on her. 'Wait. It tried to cast confusion on me. I'm immune to confusion, but Jolith doesn't know that... now does he?' She nearly smirked at the thought. 'This would be a perfect time to get him back... but then, I can't overdue myself, and kill him. Then that would be a lot of trouble. I'd have to use my magic to revive him!!! That's not a good thing. But I'll still have some fun...'  
  
"Fira!" Schala shouted and 'accidentally' cast it upon Jolith. She watched as he screamed in the scorched heat. But she quickly went back to her 'confused' mode.  
  
'Now he can't suspect a thing.' She thought wickedly.  
  
"Argh!" Jolith screamed as a fire spell scorched the whole of his left arm. Grinding his teeth to keep from screaming out again, Jolith grimaced at the smell of charred flesh filling the air. He then looked back to Schala, as he knew this beast could not cast fire spells. Ah, she was confused. So that was it. Pausing in his barrage of slashes at the creature, Jolith pulled a remedy from his pocket with his good arm and tossed it to Schala. That should take care of that.  
  
Without really watching to see if she had gotten the remedy, Jolith turned back to the creature and continued to beat on it with Adversary.  
  
As Guinevere heard Jolith shout, she rushed into battle, Cinquaeda drawn.  
  
"Curaga!" she shouted over the noise, curing Jolith, who needed it the most.  
  
She rushed forwards, attacking the shadow beast with her sword, not wanting to use her valuable stores of offensive magic.  
  
Guinevere noticed Schala acting suspiciously, "Watch Schala, Jol, she's dangerous".  
  
Jolith nodded, a little bit taken aback by being called something other than Jolith.  
  
Schala caught the remedy and put it into her pocket. No point in wasting it if she didn't need it. Luckily, Gwen and Jolith didn't notice.  
  
Schala then realized something. Gwen had joined the fight. 'Hmmm, I thought I told her to get the white one... I see this one won't obey orders. This isn't good.' Schala thought, slightly peeved at Gwen.  
  
"Argh..." She mumbled loud enough for Jolith to hear her. Meaning, he should know she was not 'confused' anymore. "Okay, come on, we gotta kick some monster ass here!" She shouted to the both of them while changing her equipment. From bow 'n arrows to staff. The staff was long and black with gold embroidered dragons all over it. On the ends where small grip areas and in the middle was another grip area. Schala held her beloved staff by the middle.  
  
"OVER THE MOON!" Schala shouted as she cast her limit break, throwing her staff high up (breaking the roof of the train) into the sky. Next she too jumped up after it. After a brief moment, she came diving down onto the beast's head, injuring it immensely. She then leaped off the beast and returned back to her team-mates.  
  
"Unbelievable." She heard Jolith mutter.  
  
"Fukk! How strong is this thing?!" Schala shouted, getting quite annoyed.  
  
'What a limit break...' Jolith thought. He hid his impress-ment though, and continued the fight.  
  
"Not much stronger!" Jolith called back arrogantly to answer Schala's rhetorical question. He drove his gunblade into the thing's heart to finish it off after the powerful 'Over the Moon' attack.  
  
A strange, high-pitched screech erupted from the creature, similar to the sound of nails being scraped upon a chalkboard, increased by 10. Cringing, though not bothering to cover his ears, Jolith turned to see how many of the other creatures were still asking for a beating.  
  
Guinevere had a shaky grin on her face as she wiped a strand of hair from her eye. That had been one hell of a tough battle, but it would be nothing compared to what the next one was.  
  
She took a small phial out of her pocket, placed it to her lips, and swallowed the contents. She felt much better now.  
  
Throwing a backwards glance at Jolith, she smiled softly. He seemed embroiled in an argument with Schala, over the remaining enemies.  
  
* * *  
  
Lyra balanced shakily on her knees, the battle already wearing her down quickly. Yuki was standing firmly in the back row, casting wave after wave of water and ice magic at the Demonian. Lyra stood in front, attacking with her knives, and throwing them when possible. Unexpectedly, the beast cast Blind on her to obscure her vision, and ruining her aim.  
  
"Dammit!" she roared, searching her pockets for a remedy. The problem was she couldn't tell one bottle from another, which was a potion or not. "Yuki! Do you have any Esuna stocked?"  
  
"Yeah..." Yuki murmured, sounding drained herself. "Hang on..." Lyra soon had her vision cleared. In fact, it seemed even better than before. She unsheathed two knives from a hidden place in her belt, gave them a twirl, and threw. One landed right at the Demonian's jugular. The other lodged inside its chest cavity.  
  
Lyra did a forward flip, pulling out the two knives, and flipping back to stand beside Yuki. The beast gave a bloodcurdling howl, and finally slumped over, dead.  
  
Lyra sighed and looked over Yuki, scrutinizing. The girl was panting, and wiping sweat from her brow.  
  
"Here," Lyra said crisply, pulling a Potion from one of her many pockets. "It'll help you perk up."  
  
As Yuki drank the Potion thankfully, Lyra reached up to her neck, feeling the cold chain of her necklace resting there as usual. She was grateful that she didn't have to resort to it in the battle. She didn't want to raise unwanted questions.  
  
"If YOU hadn't cast Fira on me, that thing could be dead LONG ago!!!" Jolith argued.  
  
"Well I'm SORRY if I was just trying to kill that thing and that think happened to attack me!" She shouted back at him, stressing the 'sorry' with pure sarcasm. "And besides, I was CONFUSED!!! How the hell was I supposed to know you're not that beast!! Anyone could easily mistaken you two... you look hideous..." She mumbled the last part.  
  
"What?! What did you say?!"  
  
"I said I WAS CONFUSED!!!" She screamed into his ear. He flinched.  
  
"You don't have to shout..." he mumbled, walking away from her.  
  
"You're a pathetic little boy, aren't you?" She muttered as she glared at the back of his head.  
  
Schala then noticed that Lyra and Yuki had defeated that monster. She was about to go over to them to heal and congratulate them, but suddenly, she felt a piercing pain on her abdomen... exactly where that demon attacked her. She placed a hand over the area and winced in pain. Removing her hand, she saw blood. The blood had stained through her dress. Lightly clutching her wound - - which was getting more painful as the seconds passed - - she staggered back and fell over backwards with a loud thud. Jolith, Lyra, and Yuki turned their heads to face her - - as Gwen was busy helping Celeste defeat the monster - -  
  
'What's up with her?' Jolith thought.  
  
Guinevere gave one last furious hack to the monster that was attacking Celeste, sending the monster to it's death.  
  
Now her attention was on Schala, the injured one. She walked over to her and placed a hand on hwe shoulder, she forced the raven haired girl to face her.  
  
"Are you ok, Schala?" Guinevere asked concerned for any team member.  
  
Schala snarled at the girl. "Get away from me," she said, as she hid the blood on her dress.  
  
"You're hurt, Schala." Guinevere said softly, "You can't fool me."  
  
Guinevere looked towards Jolith for support, but saw that he was busy helping Razimor and Victoria with their fight.  
  
Schala glared at Guinevere, obvious dislike upon her face. "I told you, I'm *fine*."  
  
Guinevere smiled sadly, taking her chances, casting Curaga on the girl.  
  
"I hope that makes you feel better, Schala," Guinevere said kindly.  
  
"Look, Guinevere... I don't need your help!" Schala snarled.  
  
Schala had serious issues. Not only was she arrogant, but she was a sneaky, ungrateful bitch as well. Jolith had come across stubborn people before, and he had learned that it was best to just let them have their way. If it didn't hinder the mission, of course. Why did it matter if she had cast Fira on him by accident, anyways? What's done is done. Whether it was on purpose or not, there was nothing to be done about it now.  
  
Jolith took in the scene before him - the group had fought their first battle and won. Not a very hard one, true, but a battle.  
  
And everyone came out alive. Jolith sighed and leaned against the wall of the train car as a small smile playing on his lips, perhaps the first true smile from him in days. We can do this.  
  
He glanced up at the clock. Only a few minutes until they arrived. Thank Hyne! His normal expression returning, Jolith scanned the room once again to see Gwen attempting to heal Schala. He smirked.  
  
* * *  
  
Guinevere gave up after her third unsuccessful attempt at healing Schala.  
  
Her stock of Curaga was running low. She'd need to go to the Island Closest to Heaven to stock up on more.  
  
"Damn you," Guinevere hissed, finally losing her patience with the ingrate.  
  
"Look Guinevere, I told you not to do it, yet you insisted on it! Why the fukk do you want to keep trying?" Schala almost yelled.  
  
"I do it because I care, Schala... I don't want to see my team members in any pain. If I could, I'd take all the pain in the world."  
  
Guinevere turned now to her friend. "What do you think happened, Jol?" she asked, sympathy in her voice.  
  
"It's Jolith. *Not* Jol," Jolith said. He sighed and got back to the topic. "Not like it matters what happened anyway... what's done is done," he said, starting toward his pack. "Oh, and if I were you, I'd quit trying to help that little bitch out. If you actually heal her, she may just kill you for it," he said sarcastically, intent on angering Schala.  
  
Just then, the train began to slow to a stop, and the train was pulling into the station.  
  
Guinevere turned to look at Jolith.  
  
"You know something, Jolith? I think you're right. She probably will kill me." She said, as she left Schala lying somewhat uncomfortably on the ground.  
  
Guinevere moved on to the others. Checking to see if they were alright, or if they were in pain.  
  
"No, Gwen, I'm fine," Victoria said, as Guinevere was about to heal her.  
  
"You sure?" Guinevere asked, a note of concern colouring her voice.  
  
"Go on... I don't need it." Victoria repeated, managing to force her body into an upright sitting position.  
  
"Ok. If you say so, Tori"  
  
Guinevere nodded, glad of a break. With all the spell casting she had done, she started to feel rather drained. Usually, this was no problem for her, she'd simply rest until she felt physically able to go on.  
  
However, with such a multitude of people wounded, Guinevere felt like she had to help them all. With a small glance at Jolith, Guinevere walked down the corridor, and fainted.  
  
By this time the train had stopped, and had pulled into the station as well. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Jolith made his way towards the corridor that connected the room they were in and the way off the train.  
  
"Damn, girl!" Jolith said as he caught sight of a fainted Guinevere. Rolling his eyes a bit, he and the nearest person- Victoria- managed to pick her up, one on either side of the girl and supporting her with their shoulders.  
  
"Don't nearly get yourself killed healing everyone else..." he muttered to Gwen, though he knew she couldn't hear him.  
  
* * *  
  
Schala knew they didn't like her. But who cared? One does not need allies to survive. And besides, she had to survive all by herself when she was little, why need it now? She took a deep breath and cast curaga on herself. She felt a stinging feeling on her wound as it healed itself. After it healed, she took a deep breath and stood up, grabbing her bag with her. The train had stopped, and they finally arrived in Deling. She quickly got off the train with the SeeDs following her, only stopping to notice Gwen fainting.  
  
'... poor girl... I guess it would be pretty much MY fault... afterall, she did try to help me, but I just wouldn't allow her...' She thought as she carefully walked over to Gwen and placed a hand on her forehead.  
  
"Gwen... please be alright..." She mumbled, hoping no one heard her kind words. "Celeste?" She called out. Celeste walked over to Schala. "I want you and Victoria to take Gwen to the nearest hotel. Make sure she gets all the rest she needs. When she wakes, I want you three to head to the northeast part of this city. There you'll find a rundown hotel and bar. I want you to find ANY information there. But... make sure she is feeling better when you decide to head out." Schala said the last part softly so Celeste could only hear.  
  
Schala then stood back up and began walking to the exit, only to turn around to face Celeste, Gwen, and Victoria again. She tossed a few x- potions and phoenix downs to them. Victoria caught them. "Use these on her if she needs them"  
  
Schala then turned to exit, with the other SeeDs following her. Each one looking back at Gwen and wishing her well.  
  
"Okay, now we're gonna split here. Lyra, Victoria, you two will head up to the Southeast area. That is, after Victoria has dropped Guinevere off at the hotel. Find any information there. Razamor, Yuki, you two will head northwest. Same drill. Jolith, we'll be going southwest." Next she went into her bag and pulled out some envelopes and some weird devices. And began handing one envelope and device to each group. "There's 1000 gil in the envelope. Don't use it generously. We may need it for a while. The black thing I just handed each of you, are communicators. We'll communicate through those. Oh, and one more thing. Remember, we're undercover. You all know what that means."  
  
Schala turned around to face the city. It was huge. Much bigger than she remembered.  
  
  
  
- - - flashback - - -  
  
  
  
A small little girl with black hair is running down a dark, damp alley. It is raining, and she is breathing heavily.  
  
"Come back you little wretched kid!" A man screamed at her as he was chasing after her. She ignored him and continued running as fast as she can, splashing through the puddles. But she wasn't as fast as the man. He soon caught up to her and tackled her down to the hard, wet, cement ground.  
  
- -- end of flashback - - -  
  
Schala closed her eyes and clenched her fists.  
  
"No..." She whispered as a single crystal tear slid down her cheek.  
  
  
  
  
  
- - - - - -  
  
aznchika: yup. I know I'm a procrastinator! But it's not my fault!!! . Well, maybe it isn't, but I don't wanna take the blame!!! . Actually, I had something to say here, but I forgot... so I'll move on to another thing I was gonna say. How come only the people at the Seiftis Board are only reading this?! Is it that bad.? Or is my editing skills that terrible?! PLEASE tell me!!! . I'll cry if you don't!! Please?! 


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